I gave up on deciding if something sounded neutral XD
Balanced is easy enough to get a feel for, but sometimes you don't care if something is out of balance.
I want Creative to make Mac drivers for their internal sound cards :,( Me wants a Soundblaster Z, but I don't want to have to open my computer and remove the card every time I want to boot into Mac instead of Windows.

P.S. did I mention, I jumped on the BF3 sale too, and grabbed Tomb Raider while I was at it? Wanna give my GTX 660 something to impress me with now that I've beaten some old Star Wars games

P.P.S, and way off topic... Does anyone have experience driving stick-shift cars?

Originally Posted by Evshrug
Seems MLE is having a better experience now with his Recon3Di than with the Recon3D USB he borrowed from someone else before when he wrote the review.

That "someone else" is right here, you know...and I can personally attest to the Recon3D USB in question not being broken or anything. (Well, there was a lead weight slab rattling around in there because the screw stud keeping it in place snapped, but it was 100% functional, no PCB damage or anything.) It might just need a driver/firmware update for all I know, but the February 2013 drivers didn't change much, if anything.

Anyway, time to put BF3's audio to the test...very first impressions are that while the positioning still sounds strangely "off" at times, it's still far, FAR better than Bad Company 2's positioning ever was, so DICE actually did get their act together. And there's one more trick they did that I'm not sure HOW they pulled it off given the way XAudio2 works, but...the helicopters in the first real singleplayer mission after you exit the APC...they legitimately sounded ABOVE my head.

My prior statements on BF3 were based on extrapolations from BF:BC2's audio performance (they're both Frostbite engine-based, after all), which may very well be incorrect in retrospect. This is why I need more hands-on experience with things, but I just wasn't willing to spend more than $5 on BF3 after having lost faith in DICE's ability to make a good Battlefield game.

Normally, this card works just fine...that was unexpected, to say the least. Too bad I'm stuck in old-fashioned one-dimensional stereo mode like this...but this would be a good time to evaluate a few games.

*fires up Battlefield: Bad Company 2, still finds the audio positioning as terrible as remembered, can't find an "enhanced stereo mode" option*

Yeah, I still don't get how anyone can get any semblance of directionality with that game's audio.

*fires up Battlefield 3, turns on enhanced stereo mode*

...Well, I'll be damned. A game with its own binaural mixing mode, no need for a sound card to mix it for you, and it actually doesn't suck! This whole time, I was thinking that BF3 was going to sound just as terrible as BF:BC2 (positionally speaking), and yet DICE did get their act together after all. Maybe there's hope yet for the Frostbite engine...regardless, I'll have to eat all my words on that one assumption.

I still wish they weren't trying to shove this Battlelog crap down our throats, though...

That's how I feel as well. Two different kinds of awesome. The Annie is more balanced, the X1 is more fun. Both have their place, and both are special to me.

For most of my main music genres (which tend to rely on bass), the X1 is more ideal.

It's really apples vs oranges.

If you love the DT990 and want a natural evolution of those (meaning more refinement, more realistic, and considerably less treble fatigue aka way less bright), the X1 is what you want.

Also, the X1 goes lower/deeper, while the 990 is more mid bassy. I prefer lower/deeper bass (more rumble, less bass headaches).

So are you saying the X1 and DT 990 are relatively close in signature with the X1 being a refinement of that signature? I haven't heard the DT 990 in quite some time and just don't remember it at all. Also, could you talk a little more of your impressions with the X1's treble? Would you consider them V-shaped?

Normally, this card works just fine...that was unexpected, to say the least. Too bad I'm stuck in old-fashioned one-dimensional stereo mode like this...but this would be a good time to evaluate a few games.

*fires up Battlefield: Bad Company 2, still finds the audio positioning as terrible as remembered, can't find an "enhanced stereo mode" option*

Yeah, I still don't get how anyone can get any semblance of directionality with that game's audio.

*fires up Battlefield 3, turns on enhanced stereo mode*

...Well, I'll be damned. A game with its own binaural mixing mode, no need for a sound card to mix it for you, and it actually doesn't suck! This whole time, I was thinking that BF3 was going to sound just as terrible as BF:BC2 (positionally speaking), and yet DICE did get their act together after all. Maybe there's hope yet for the Frostbite engine...regardless, I'll have to eat all my words on that one assumption.

I still wish they weren't trying to shove this Battlelog crap down our throats, though...

So are you saying the X1 and DT 990 are relatively close in signature with the X1 being a refinement of that signature? I haven't heard the DT 990 in quite some time and just don't remember it at all. Also, could you talk a little more of your impressions with the X1's treble? Would you consider them V-shaped?

Not exacty. I mostly mean that people who love the 990s and wish for some better mids and less treble should look into the X1. They are both open, bassy, energetic cans, with good soundstage. That's a rarity, which is why the comparison is valid, IMHO.

Despite its tilt towards bass, the X1 is pretty linear after the bass... . So I wouldn't necessary call it V-shaped. Maybe a hint more treble than mids, but not to the point of it being V shaped. Also, the treble rolls off quite quickly after the 10khz peak, meaning, it's not very fatiguing, and a lot of it is quite smooth. I noticed on some songs, some S sounds aren't as sparkly as others.Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 6/15/13 at 1:05am

I noticed the price drop just now and they refuse to refund the $50 (I got them at 350 last week) and say I should return them for a full refund and re-order them at the new price.

They said the policy is they will only refund if it is within 7 days of the delivery date and it has been 11 since I received mine. BS in my opinion... they are just hoping people will not want to go through the hassle of returning a perfectly good pair and getting a new one.